Donahue Sides With Iowa’s Fry : He Doesn’t Blame Coach for No-Nonsense Approach

Iowa is taking a no-nonsense approach in preparing to play UCLA in the Rose Bowl game on New Year’s Day.

The Hawkeyes are practicing at home and will not arrive in California until the day after Christmas. They will be available to the media for exactly half an hour the next day, then will be off limits.

Iowa will stay in the City of Industry and will practice those final days in Walnut.

There will be no beef binges at Lawry’s and no trips to Disneyland before the game.

For UCLA, it will be business as usual. The Bruins always enjoy the Rose Bowl outings. Practices will be open to the media, just as they are all season. Finals are over at UCLA, so the Bruins are practicing every morning, looking at films in the afternoon and going back to their own homes in the evening.

After Christmas, they’ll move to a hotel in Beverly Hills.

It’s the same routine the Bruins used in December of 1982 and 1983. They won the Rose Bowl games both times.

Asked what he thought of Coach Hayden Fry’s plans for the Hawkeyes, UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said, “I’m worried about the way Hayden Fry is approaching it. He’s an experienced guy. He’s been around a long time. He knows what he’s doing.

“They seem to be very aware of possible stumbling blocks ever since that 28-0 score (losing to Washington in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1982). They changed their approach for the Freedom Bowl last year (and beat Texas, 55-17).

“Our approach is to try to have fun and yet still win the game as we have in the past. Winning the game is the real fun part. But I think the activities and the functions are things that these young people have earned and have the right to enjoy.

“It’s different for us. We’re in California all year and we’re used to the environment.

“If I were Hayden Fry, I would do what Hayden Fry is doing. Iowa has the opportunity to finish high in the national rankings, as high as they’ve been for several years. Unlike some other Big Ten teams that have wanted to come out here early, Iowa has the opportunity to practice indoors at home.

“I think Iowa is very serious about the game. As Hayden said, they’re coming out here for business. They can enjoy themselves after the game.”

Iowa is a slight favorite, and Donahue tends to agree with that assessment.

Iowa is ranked No. 4 nationally and UCLA is ranked No. 13.

“Realistically, Iowa is in the national championship category,” Donahue said.

Iowa was ranked No. 1 longer than any other team this season and fell to No. 4 after suffering its only loss at Ohio State. Iowa has a 10-1 record. UCLA is 8-2-1.

“I think we’re the slight underdog,” Donahue said. “But the fact that we’re the Pac-10 champion will begin to balance that out, and the fact that we have won three New Year’s Day games will start to balance out the scale.

“This is not to take a gutty little Bruin approach. We have the chance to play one of the best teams in the nation. But we’re a good team, too. I don’t think, at 8-2-1, we have anything to apologize for.

“We’re not ranked as high, but we’re not going in with the same underdog flavor that we had in ’83. And being the underdog can be an advantage.”

Donahue added that the game being played on UCLA’s regular home field is not really an advantage in this situation.

“To me, the home field advantage means that the crowd will go with you when there’s a change in momentum,” Donahue said. “For the Rose Bowl game, the crowd is always about 50-50. The crowd isn’t really a factor. To me, that’s not home field advantage.”

Bruin Notes UCLA Coach Terry Donahue will be doing TV color commentary on the Holiday Bowl game between Arkansas and Arizona State Dec. 22 for Lorimar Productions. He’ll be working with play-by-play man Tom Hammond. The color commentator was to have been Lou Holtz, but he had to cancel when Minnesota signed with the Independence Bowl. Holtz has since left Minnesota for Notre Dame--to take a job for which Donahue was constantly mentioned as a candidate. Jokingly, Donahue said, “I didn’t mind taking the Holiday Bowl job after Lou couldn’t take it. I follow Lou Holtz all the time.” . . . The injury update, in brief, lists split end Mike Sherrard at 100%, David Clinton sure to hold for place kicks, defensive tackle Frank Batchkoff back for sure, guard Onno Zwanveld back for sure, cornerback Dennis Price expected to play, cornerback Darryl Henley likely to play, strong safety Craig Rutledge at 50-50, defensive tackle Doug Wassel with a marginal chance to play, guard Jim McCullough questionable with a pinched nerve in his shoulder, and linebacker Tony Phillips “trying desperately.” . . . Monday afternoon, Donahue took roses to the grave of the late athletic director, J.D. Morgan. He died on Dec. 16 five years ago.